Collaborative Initiatives

Future of Fuels

Future of Fuels Overview

Introduction

Commercial freight transportation is at the cusp of a transition. Energy supply is changing with new fuels entering the market, increased cost volatility, and questions about the impacts of fuel. Yet low-carbon energy for commercial freight is in short supply and technological barriers to their adoption are daunting. Furthermore, mixed and competing claims obscure clarity on the sustainability of fuel choices. Credible, fuel-neutral analysis and solutions are needed to drive transition sustainably.

Mission

Our mission is to drive a sustainable transition to low-carbon commercial road freight with new tools, convenings, and partnerships. We do this as a business-to-business, cross value-chain, fuel-neutral group focused on lifecycle energy sustainability.

Our Accomplishments

We created a Case Study Library, allowing companies to share data and feedback on low-emission fuel technologies in a standardized format.

Future of Fuels Sustainable Development Goals Alignment

Solutions

Future of Fuels Case Study Library

The global freight system is in transformation. Buyers, regulators, and the public want freight that is simultaneously more economical, more flexible, and more sustainable. To meet joint objectives of economic growth and emissions reductions, operators will need to leverage a diverse, often confusing, set of existing and emerging solutions.

Fuel Sustainability Tool

Today, more people are expecting vehicles and fleets to run on cleaner, more sustainable fuels—but which fuels are clean? And what makes them sustainable? Our Fuel Sustainability Tool simplifies sustainability for fleet owners and provides credible, comparable data for fleet planning and fuel purchasing.

Sustainable Fuel Buyers’ Principles

To meet joint objectives of economic growth and emissions reductions, operators will need to leverage a diverse, often confusing, set of existing and emerging solutions. These Principles provide a robust framework to catalyze lasting change to the road freight fuel system.

Associate | Paris

Prior to BSR, Léa worked for a French communications agency on sustainable development communications strategies among other projects for multinational and French companies. Before that, she worked for French oil company Total, where she helped develop and expand the company’s access-to-energy program in Europe. She also worked for the French Development Agency and the French Geological Survey on agricultural development projects in Africa and Southeast Asia. She speaks French and English.

Léa holds an M.A. in Engineering from Montpellier SupAgro and AgroParisTech and an M.Sc. in Business and Sustainability from the HEC Paris Business School.

Eric Olson

Senior Vice President | San Francisco

With more than 20 years in the consulting field, Eric leads BSR's global consulting practice to design and implement sustainability strategies that create business value by addressing some of the world’s greatest challenges.

Prior to joining BSR, Eric worked with the Natural Step in San Francisco, accelerating sustainability through strategic counsel on a broad range of corporate responsibility matters that included supply chain management and sustainable development. He also has served as vice president at the Boston Consulting Group and was a partner and founding member of the global consultancy Mitchell Madison Group.

Eric was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he earned an M.S. in Russian and East European Studies. He also holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Macalester College.

Beth Richmond

Manager | New York

As part of the sustainability management practice, Beth helps drive thought leadership on sustainability strategy and works with member companies across industries on reporting, stakeholder engagement, and more.

Prior to joining BSR, Beth served as the director of sustainability for a packaging manufacturer, where she was responsible for environmental strategy and the design, execution, and monitoring of companywide sustainability initiatives. As a consultant with Stratus Consulting, Beth also worked on numerous projects for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including benefit-cost analyses of proposed federal regulation and industry partnership development.

Beth holds a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a B.A. in Economics from Colby College.

Nate Springer

Manager | San Francisco

Nate is a sustainable business leader who creates value from climate action. He leads two of BSR’s green freight initiatives and manages climate strategy and supply chain projects for Fortune 500 companies.

He set science-based targets for Walmart and led BSR’s Future of Fuels team to launch the Sustainable Fuel Buyers’ Principles, now with 15 company signatories. As manager of the Clean Cargo Working Group, he oversees best-practice sharing, data collection, and supply chain engagement with 50 companies representing 85 percent of the ocean container shipping industry. He also designed BSR’s approach for companies to assess renewable energy opportunities globally and develop corporate climate strategies that engage their suppliers in emissions-reductions.

Nate has more than 15 years of experience in sustainability and stakeholder engagement, including with the Peace Corps. He holds an M.B.A. with Honors and M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Environmental Science from Willamette University. He is fluent in Spanish.

Reports

BSR's Future of Fuels initiative has produced a guide that outlines strategies for companies to accelerate the transition to climate-friendly fuels while improving the sustainability impacts of all fuels.

Fuel Sustainability Tool

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About Us

BSR™ is a global nonprofit organization that works with its network of more than 250 member companies and other partners to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North America, BSR™ develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Learn more about BSR’s 25 years of leadership in sustainability.